Queen of Fragrance
Life must blossom like a fl ower off ering itself to the Divine - The Mother
Madurai malli, the proverbial creamy white fragrant jasmine, is the people’s fl ower. From the common person to presidents and royalty, everybody loves jasmine. I’ve seen several women in rural south India look radiantly beautiful with a string of its buds adorning their hair! Although the rose may score over the jasmine in razzle dazzle and glamour, the jasmine has the timelessness of a classic. Madurai and its surrounding areas is the world’s jasmine capital. Th e fl oral belt stretches from Madurai, Dindugul, Athoor, Nilakotai, and includes Virudhunagar, Arupukottai, and Tirunelveli districts. Th e hot, arid climate, moderate rainfall, and sandy soil are ideal growth conditions for this perennial flower.
In South India, the jasmine is a part of people’s lives. From the sacred to the secular, no occasion is complete without the sensual aroma of the jasmine. Our cover story traces the place of jasmine in contemporary South Indian society and a new facet of it -as a raw material for the manufacture of high grade perfumes and fragrances. As Daliani Dixon writes about her fi rst encounter with the jasmine, “My host mother pinned a string of jasmine buds on my hair. Being unfamiliar with the jasmine and having never smelt an English fl ower that bestows such a fragrance, I found myself regularly reaching round the back of my head to touch the soft waxy petals of the blossoms with glee—much to the amusement of onlookers!” Th e jasmine captivated her. Like it does to anyone who encounters this “Queen of Fragrance” It is also a reminder that in our lives, we need to be like the jasmine—leave a little of our fragrance on all people whose lives we touch.
